Planning Board Meeting - June 22, 2026: Site Plan Approval for 17 Water Street Residential Conversion
Planning Board Meeting - June 22, 2026
The Claremont Planning Board met on June 22, 2026, beginning with roll call and approval of the June 8, 2026 meeting minutes. The main agenda item was a public hearing for site plan review application PL 2026.00009, submitted by 1852 MB Claremont LLC (represented by Matthew Bacon) for the conversion of a vacant office building at 17 Water Street into 25 multifamily residential units (17 one-bedroom and 8 two-bedroom apartments). The board also considered waivers, heard from the applicant on parking and historic preservation, and ultimately voted to approve the site plan with conditions.
Consent Calendar
- The board unanimously approved the minutes from the June 8, 2026 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- The public hearing was opened, but no members of the public offered comments. The hearing was then closed.
Discussion Items
- Application Overview: Planning staff recommended that the board formally accept the application as complete, review the waiver request, and make a final decision. The applicant had already received a conditional use permit on June 8, 2026, and an 11-year tax relief incentive (RSA 79E) from the City Council on June 10, 2026. Historic District Commission review was scheduled for June 25, 2026.
- Parking: Applicant Matthew Bacon stated that about 13 on-site parking spaces exist, covering roughly half the required total. An offer to acquire additional city-owned parking was deferred by the city council to be resolved during permitting. The board noted that adequate parking is a condition for the certificate of occupancy.
- Windows and Historic Preservation: A board member expressed concern about sealed windows on the west side of the building. The applicant explained that window restoration is governed by the National Park Service and the historic consultant, and that the Historic District Commission meeting on June 25 would address exterior modifications in detail.
- Life Safety and Utilities: The applicant confirmed that sprinkler, HVAC, and stairwell life safety improvements are being designed, incorporating input from the deputy fire chief. An underground storage tank has received approval for removal, and a filing with NHDES has been made.
- Waivers: The board discussed waivers under RSA 674:44E and site plan regulations. A motion was made and seconded to waive strict conformance, finding that the waiver would properly carry out the spirit and intent of the regulations. A second motion waived the requirement for formal submission of a site plan because an existing site plan is on file. Both waivers passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Waivers Granted: The board voted unanimously to approve two waivers: (1) a waiver of strict conformance under RSA 674:44E, and (2) a waiver of the requirement for formal site plan submission.
- Site Plan Approval: The board voted unanimously (all ayes) to approve application PL 2026.00009 for the residential conversion, subject to the following conditions:
- The property shall be developed in substantial conformance with the information in applications PL 2026.00008 and PL 2026.00009 and with testimony from the public hearings.
- The applicant shall obtain all necessary permits and approvals.
- No work may commence until required permits and compliance statements are submitted and approved by the planning and development department.
- Failure to comply constitutes a violation of zoning ordinance Section 2292. The site plan approval is valid for two years from the date of approval.
- Reports: The planning and development department solicited feedback on a website redesign via survey.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after the board completed its business.
Meeting Transcript
All right, welcome to the planning board meeting Monday, June 22nd, 2026. Can I have a roll call, please? Bacon Verde? Here. Jonathan Elton. Michael Sandorn. Yeah. Richard Worley. Here. Yep. Maxim Jake and Alderman. Nancy B? Here. Evermatto? Here. Nicholas Koloski. All right. Uh review of uh minutes of previous meeting, June 8th, 2026. Motion to approve as presented. We have a second. Second. Any discussion? Those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. And the minutes pass. All right. Right down to new business. Public hearing. A PL 2026. 00009. 1852 MB Claremont LLC. Darien, Connecticut. Application for site plan review for 25 unit multifamily residential conversion at 17 Water Street tax map 120, La 8, Zone District MU. What do you have, Austin? Well, as you all recall, this is the final stage in the 17 Water Street site plan approval. We had a preliminary review at our last meeting. So I'll avoid going into detail on the property description, but this is map 120 lot 8, the small parcel between Water Street and the Sugar River, the site of Manet Knock Mill number one. The applicant plans to convert this building into fully residential use with 25 total apartments consisting of 17 one bedroom units and eight two bedroom units. The conversion of this vacant office office space to multifamily residential use requires a conditional use permit and site plan approval from the planning board. All project activities that require a certificate of appropriateness from the historic district commission are scheduled this Thursday, June 25th. The applicant has also applied for 11 years of tax relief through the community revitalization tax relief incentive or RSA 79E, which was granted by the City Council on June 10th. The planning board approved the application for a conditional use permit at the June 8th meeting and conducted preliminary review of the site plan approval. The board discussed waivers and decided to waive formal submission of a site plan for Article 7 of the site plan regulations. After subsequent consideration of the application, review process and local and state regulations is my recommendation that the board receive and formally review the official request for site plan waiver provided in the meeting packet. Discuss the site plan proposal and make a final decision on the site plan application. I've included draft motions for approval or denial of the site plan proposal at the end of the report, along with recommended motions for the consideration of waivers for the site plan regulations and RSA 6744. The process I've recommended ensures proper review of the application, formalizes the waiver discussed and voted on at our last meeting, and complete completes the final application review step under Article 3D of the site plan regulations with considerations for waivers issued under Article 7, B and C. The next pages on your report outline the process in detail and made the guide.
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